2011: "Nature in the 905: Hope Grows in Markham"
NATURE IN THE 905: HOPE GROWS IN MARKHAM
On September 24th the North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) held an all day tour of sites in Markham, Ontario. The theme of the day was: “How could nature survive and even thrive in a suburban environment?”. Markham was chosen as the site because last year it received NANPS’ Paul McGraw Conservation Award for its work in planting trees and conserving nature in the town.
We were fortunate to have a congenial group, beautiful sunny fall weather, and some interesting hosts who talked knowledgeably and enthusiastically about each of the six sites we visited.
The tour began at Grandview Park, where European buckthorn, garlic mustard and periwinkle, all invasive alien species, were threatening to take over. The Grandview Residents Association adopted the park, and Jane McCulloch showed us what they had achieved after hours of manual labour. Most of the invasive species are gone or in retreat, and native plants have room to thrive in this small piece of preserved forest.
Jane McCulloch in Grandview Park
At the next stop, Wing Morse, the treasurer of the Pomona Mills Park Conservationists (PMPC) , showed us a beautiful wildflower meadow next to St Volodymyr`s Church, planted by volunteers on land which they had saved from development. One issue discussed here was: “Do we want to leave nature to take its course?” If so, the sumachs at the edge of the meadow would eventually take over the site. The group decided to cut a path and limit the extent to which the sumachs would be allowed to spread. We then had a pretty walk in the valley, which was made into a park after the houses that had been there were destroyed by Hurricane Hazel, and saw some other PMPC plantings.
Karen Boniface, NANPS Secretary, Wing Morse and John Oyston, tour leader
(Photo by Deb Dale)
We had a picnic lunch at Milne Dam, where NANPS Secretary Karen Boniface showed us several areas that had been planted by various volunteer groups and are now established natural areas. This has many advantages, including reducing the amount of time and money which would otherwise have been spent on maintaining a larger lawn.
Jim Robb with wildflowers at Bob Hunter Park
Suitably refreshed, we travelled to Bob Hunter Memorial Park where Jim Robb, General Manager of “Friends of the Rouge Watershed”, gave a detailed account of the political struggle needed to create Rouge National Park. In contrast to the small parks we had seen so far, the Rouge National Park, if fully realised, could be as large as 100km2, right on the edge of the suburbs of the GTA. He showed the work that was being done to convert farm fields into wildflower meadows, which would gradually convert into woodlands as the trees they were planting matured over the coming decades. He talked of the conflict between developers, farmers and those who wanted to protect and extend the natural environment of the area. He suggested that farmers could use smaller plots of land more intensively to produce fresh vegetables for the thriving local food market, rather than use hundreds of acres for corn and other “cash crops”.
Group Photo, NANPS Tour, September 24th 2011, at Bob Hunter Memorial Park
We then went to a site on the east side of Don Cousen’s Parkway. There was a huge housing development on the west side which was being extended by construction crews, but the east side was protected and being cared for by “10,000 Trees for the Rouge” volunteers. Marshall Buchanan, a Professional Forester, talked about the challenges of planting trees on giant berms which had been formed with soil from the construction site. Because funding and volunteers were available, these sites were planted while still severely compacted by construction equipment, and the first planting did poorly. Later plantings have been more successful. In particular, they are establishing several oak groves, which are being carefully maintained and protected by deer fences.
Marshall Buchanan at a 10,000 Trees planting near Don Cousen’s Parkway
The final stop was at the residence of Greg Hagan, president of NAPS. He has a small city lot which is crammed with an amazing variety of native flowers, many rescued from construction sites. With the help of neighbours and with permission from several authorities, he has planted a creek bed behind his house, a laneway, and a linear bed along a roadside. One enthusiastic dedicated and knowledgeable person can certainly make a lot of difference!
Greg Hagan’s Back Yard
(Photo by Deb Dale)
Most groups had some sort of political frustrations, which was most marked at the Rouge site. There was often conflict between what donors wanted and what was best. For example, there is often pressure to plant as many trees as possible, to hit productivity targets, and to plant larger trees for immediate impact. Sudden influxes of large numbers of well-meaning but inexperienced volunteers can cause problems. Sponsors may expect groups to accept plant materials from the lowest bidder, rather than from the best, most local, and most ethical source. Suppliers may take advantage of a group which wants a lot of material cheaply for a one day event by offloading inferior stock.
Trees, flowers and grasses at Bob Hunter Memorial Park
Overall, there was much to be encouraged about. Each speaker was passionate about his or her site, and had been able to recruit volunteers, attract funding and acquire supplies to make a real difference in the community. The whole process of protecting or extending natural areas has become much more scientific as lessons from one site are passed on to the next. We have moved away from planting vast acreages of monoculture conifers to creating a much more mixed and natural environment, including trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses. The process of choosing the right species for the right site has become more rigorous, and we have a better understanding of how important it is to use locally cultivated species. We have learnt that it is not just about planting, but that most sites require ongoing watering and maintenance for several years before they can become established. Most importantly, we know that if we can get the habitat right, the birds, the butterflies, the reptiles and the mammals will find it and thrive in it. Truly, hope does grow in Markham.
NANPS thanks all our enthusiastic hosts who gave us the back story which made the site visits so enjoyable and educational.
John Oyston (Tour Leader, E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
NANPS Ontario Prairie Tour 2010
Took place on Sepember 25th 2010 and visited Oak Hills Farm, Alderville Black Oak Savanna and Red Cloud Cemetery. This was an opportunity to visit three very different examples of Ontario's Tallgrass Prairie in one day, with expert guides.
Oak Hills Farm Prairie and Arboretum is a three year old prairie re-creation on a private site. Only three percent of Ontario's Tallgrass Prairie survives, so it is important to create more prairie habitat. This site includes an arboretum of over a hundred native trees and shrubs. It won a 2009 NANPS Garden Award.
Gavin Trevelyan, formerly of Tallgrass Ontario, gave an introduction to Ontario's Prairies. John Oyston, the owner of Oak Hills Farm, took a group of over 30 people around his prairie and explained the issues related to planting a new prairie in a former hay field.
Alderville Black Oak Savanna is the largest example of Black Oak Savanna in central Ontario. It is on native land; fortunately the first nations recognised its importance and protected it from a proposed housing development and from use for gravel extraction.
Janine McLeod, the Natural Heritage Co-ordinator for Alderville talked about their restoration projects and how the site is being expanded using seed collected from within the original prairie remnant.
Red Cloud Cemetery is a pioneer cemetery which has been preserved from development and spared regular mowings. It is a small piece of ancient prairie which has survived and been protected and preserved by volunteers.
Ed Heuval, Project Manager explained the issues involved in volunteers preserving a heritage site, and about the importance of removing trees to allow the prairie to grow properly.
It was a very interesting and enjoyable day, and participants gained three very different perspectives on the importance of preserving and reconstructing prairie habitat.
Excursions